Syama Sastry Kriti

Meaning - Gist

O My Mother!
O Mother whose feet are red like early morning cloud! O Refuge of celestials and sages! O Mother SrI bRhan-nAyaki who bestows countless wishes!
O Enjoyer of music! O My Mother!
O Protector of ignorant! O Mother whose speech is very tender and soft! O Mother whose braid is dark like rain-cloud! O Sister of vishNu – SyAma kRshNa! O Queen of Lord gOkarNESvara!

I prayed to You that You are Ocean of compassion in this World;

therefore, I sought Your refuge.

Is it possible to describe as to how much Your amazing Greatness are!
If You delay like this to protect me, I shall not forbear even half a minute.

Are You not the Sanctifier?
I trusted Your feet alone to be my refuge.

I prayed to You that You are Ocean of compassion in this World.

Word Division - Word-by-word meaning

pallavi
karuNA nidhi ilalO nIvu-anucunu
kanna talli vEDukoNTini nI SaraNu-aNTini

O My Mother (kanna talli)! I prayed (vEDukoNTini) to You that (anucunu) You (nIvu) (nIvanucunu) are Ocean (nidhi) of compassion (karuNA) in this World (ilalO); therefore, I sought (aNTini) Your (nI) refuge (SaraNu) (SaraNaNTini).

anupallavi
aruNa-ambuda nibha caraNA sura muni
SaraNa-ananta-ishTa dAyaki SrI bRhan-nAyaki (karuNA)

O Mother whose feet (caraNA) are red like (nibha) early morning (aruNa) cloud (ambuda) (aruNAmbuda)! O Refuge (SaraNa) of celestials (sura) and sages (muni)! O Mother SrI bRhan-nAyaki who bestows (dAyaki) countless (ananta) wishes (ishTa) (SaraNAnantEshTa)!
O My Mother! I prayed to You that You are Ocean of compassion in this World; therefore, I sought Your refuge.

caraNam
caraNam 1 gAna vinOdini nI mahima-atiSayambula
entaTivi-ADanu taramA brOva
tAmasamu-iTu jEsitE ara nimishamaina
tALa jAlanu-ammA mA-ammA (karuNA)

O Enjoyer (vinOdini) of music (gAna)! Is it possible (taramA) to describe (ADanu) (literally speak) as to how much (entaTivi) (entaTivADanu) Your (nI) amazing (atiSayambula) Greatness (mahima) (mahimAtiSayambula) are!
O My (mA) Mother (ammA) (mAyammA)! If You delay (tAmasamu jEsitE) like this (iTu) (tAmasamiTu) to protect (brOva) me, I shall not (jAlanu) (jAlanammA) forbear (tALa) even half (ara) a minute (nimishamaina).
O My Mother! I prayed to You that You are Ocean of compassion in this World; therefore, I sought Your refuge.

caraNam 2 pAmara pAlini pAvani nIvu gadA nI
pAdamE gati-ani namminAnu
kOmaLa mRdu bhAshiNI ghana sadRSa vENI
SyAma kRshNa sOdarI gOkarNESvaruni rANi (karuNA)

O Protector (pAlini) of ignorant (pAmara)! Are You (nIvu) not (gadA) the Sanctifier (pAvani)? I trusted (namminAnu) Your (nI) feet alone (pAdamE) to be (ani) my refuge (gati) (gatiyani).
O Mother whose speech (bhAshinI) is very tender (kOmaLa) and soft (mRdu)! O Mother whose braid (vENI) is dark like (sadRSa) rain-cloud (ghana)! O Sister (sOdarI) of vishNu – SyAma kRshNa! O Queen (rANi) of Lord gOkarNESvara (gOkarNESvaruni)!
O My Mother! I prayed to You that You are Ocean of compassion in this World; therefore, I sought Your refuge.

Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
² – caraNA sura muni – caraNA (ambA) sura muni – caraNAmbudhi sura muni. ‘caraNAmbudhi’ is not appropriate in the context.

³ – mAyammA – nEDu nI bAluDanu gAna. In the latter version, instead of ‘nEDu’, if it is ‘nEnu’, then it could be translated as ‘Am I not Your son?’. With ‘nEDu’, this version does not seem to be appropriate.

⁴ - pAmara pAlini pAvani nIvu gadA nI pAdamE – pAmara pAvani (amba) pAvani mUrtivi nIvu gadA nIdu pAdamE. In the latter version, instead ‘pAvani’ (2nd occurrence), if it is given as ‘pAvana’, then it could be translated as ‘Isn’t Your form sanctifying?’ However, with the version given, it does not seem to be appropriate.

⁵ – namminAnu – nammiti.
⁶ – rANi – rANI.
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References

Comments
¹ – ambuda – In the books, this word seems to have been translated as ‘lotus’. This word has no such meaning. It means ‘cloud’. However, if the word is ‘ambuja’, then it can be interpreted as ‘lotus’. Accordingly meaning ‘cloud’ has been adopted.

This kRti has been composed on Mother bRhannAyaki consort of gOkarNESvara at 'tiru-gOkarNaM' near Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu.
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karuNA nidhi ilalO - rAga tODi